city, western Ukraine. It lies along the upper Seret River, 70 miles (115 km) east of Lviv. Although its date of foundation is unknown, the first known reference to Ternopil occurs in 1524, when under Polish rule, it was sacked by the Tatars. Taken by Austria in 1772, the city prospered in the 19th century as a transit point for trade between the Austrian and Russian empires. The arrival of the railroad in 1870 spurred further economic growth. Ternopil was returned to Poland in 1920 but then annexed by the Soviet Union in 1939. World War II inflicted exceptionally heavy damage on the city. Modern Ternopil has continued to be an important railway junction, and its industries have included light engineering, food processing, and consumer-goods manufacturing. The 16th-century Nativity and 18th-century Dominican churches survive. A medical institute is also located there. Pop. (2001) 227,755; (2005 est.) 220,720.